Designer homeware is easiest to buy well when you think one room at a time. Each space has its own job, and the right pieces are the ones that suit that job as well as your taste. Here is a practical, room-by-room guide with ideas for the living room, bedroom, bathroom, hallway and garden.
The living room: start with fabric and light
The living room works hardest, so put your money into things you touch and see every day: upholstery, curtains and lighting.
For fabric, Morris & Co's Golden Lily fabric is a strong choice. Designed by John Henry Dearle in 1899, it uses a strong diagonal arrangement to give structure to its entwining lily stems and tendrils, and it is one of Morris & Co's most enduringly popular designs. It is printed on a linen-rich blend and is hard-wearing at 40,000 Martindale, so it suits upholstery as well as curtains, blinds and cushions. Choose from Mineral, Midnight/Green and Green/Gold. You will find more options in our fabric collection.
Then think about light. A room needs a mix of overhead and lamp light, and one statement fitting gives it a focal point. Browse our lighting, or go all out with a giraffe chandelier.
Finally, small furniture. Kartell's Prince Aha Stool, designed by Philippe Starck, is made from two cones joined in an hourglass shape. It is lightweight polypropylene (2.4kg, 30cm diameter x 43cm high) and works as a stool or a stand beside a sofa. Colours are Pigeon, Wax White, Fennel Green and Lavender Grey.
Bedrooms and children's rooms
In the bedroom, comfort comes first and pattern second. Golden Lily makes a lovely headboard or a pair of curtains, and a quieter wallpaper lets it shine; see our wallpaper collection.
The Prince Aha also works beside a bed as a stand for a book and a glass of water, and it suits children's rooms too: it is light enough to move around, and the shape is fun.
Bathrooms and hallways: small rooms, big personality
Small rooms are where you can afford to be bolder, because you spend less time in them and a little goes a long way.
- Mirrors: every bathroom and hallway needs one, so choose a mirror that doubles as art. Our Seletti mirrors are the place to start.
- Accessories: a single quirky object on a windowsill or console adds character without clutter. Have a look at our home décor and the wider Seletti range.
- Consistency: repeat one colour or metal finish between the hallway and the rooms off it, so the house feels connected.
The garden: an outdoor room
Treat the garden as another room, with somewhere to sit, somewhere to relax and a few things that make it yours.
Fatboy's Headdemock Hammock, designed by Alex Bergman, is a generously oversized hammock on its own freestanding frame, so you do not need two trees or any rope. Set it up on the lawn, the terrace or by the pool. There is room for two (up to 150kg), and the powder-coated steel frame is easy to assemble and take apart again.
For something more unusual, Seletti's Aquart Shower brings showering into the garden. It combines copper and concrete with an irresistible retro charm: the cement base provides stability, the large knob is inspired by old-fashioned taps and the red water inlet control takes its shape from the industrial world. It is easy to install and move.
For extra seating, browse our furniture.
A simple rule for every room
Buy one piece you love per room, then build around it. A fabric, a light or a statement object gives you a colour palette and a mood, and everything else can follow.
If you would like help planning a room, visit us at the shop in Somerset or get in touch with the team for advice.
